Scholarships create stability, open doors, and make it possible for students to imagine futures that once felt out of reach. For alum Lilly Gaven, BS ’23 Educational Foundations, MEd ’24 Curriculum and Teaching, scholarship support was the foundation that allowed her to transform her education into a career that now touches the lives of hundreds of children.
For Alum Bruce Waltz, giving is not about a single moment. It is about showing up consistently, month after month, year after year. He has been a monthly donor to the College of Education Scholarship Support Fund since 2003, choosing steady support as a reflection of his belief that education is both personal and powerful.
FHS gave me a grounding in professional competencies and systems thinking that has shaped every role I’ve held since. I’ve rested on that foundation as a parent, a youth pastor, a middle school teacher, a nonprofit leader, and now in my work back at the University of Oregon in the Center for Childhood Safety and Wellbeing.
The COE has long emphasized the power of applied learning, community engagement, and reflective practice. For Leah Schluter, a 2016 graduate of the Family and Human Services program, those values became the foundation of a career dedicated to violence prevention, child safety, and systems‑level change.
Meet Sarai Santos, MS, QMHP, LMFT, a Family and Human Services and Couples and Family Therapy alumna of the University of Oregon College of Education and learn about her journey from first-generation student to bilingual mental health therapist.
Meet alumni Alex Walker, a 2020 graduate of the University of Oregon’s UOTeach master's program and current fifth grade teacher at Malabon Elementary. Alex also serves as Head Coach for Track and Field and Assistant Coach for Boys’ Soccer at Willamette High School.
Meet College of Education alumna Cati Adkins. After earning her Bachelor of Education (Family and Human Services) in 2014 and her Master of Education in Prevention Science in 2021, Adkins now serves as the School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Grant Manager and Project Director at the Douglas Education Service District (ESD) in rural Southern Oregon.
Meet Elementary and Special Education alumna Kate Barker, BS and MS, a veteran principal, professor, author, speaker, and leadership coach. Learn more about her decades‑long career in education and what she experienced in her professional journey that affirmed not only her path but her purpose.
For Margie, earning a degree wasn’t just an academic milestone; it was proof that it’s never too late to chase a dream. Meet CDS alumna Margie Keck Smith, '92, and learn about her journey of reinvention.
Meet Josh Adams, '02, '05, Ed Leadership graduate who has been a school leader with the Department of Defense Education Activity since 2010 where he's been either overseas or in the DC area working as a principal, superintendent, and branch chief at their headquarters.
